In 1977, the world’s population was estimated at approximately 4.2 billion people. Asia was by far the most populous continent, home to over half of the global population, with China and India alone accounting for more than 1.9 billion combined—China had around 950 million people and India about 650 million. Europe’s population hovered near 490 million, with the Soviet Union, Germany, and the United Kingdom among its most populous countries. Africa’s population was about 420 million, with Nigeria and Egypt as leading demographic centers. North America had roughly 330 million people, the majority in the United States (about 220 million) and Canada. Latin America and the Caribbean together had around 320 million, with Brazil and Mexico as the largest countries. Oceania, including Australia and the Pacific islands, was the least populated region, with about 20 million inhabitants. This demographic landscape reflected both the rapid post-war population growth and the early stages of the demographic transition in many developing regions.
Rank | Country | Population | Population Density Per Square KM |
---|---|---|---|
1 | China | 948,761,050 | 101.7 |
2 | India | 645,134,815 | 217 |
3 | United States | 219,760,000 | 24 |
4 | Indonesia | 141,122,668 | 77.9 |
5 | Russia | 136,263,686 | 8.3 |
6 | Japan | 113,872,473 | 312.4 |
7 | Brazil | 112,888,425 | 13.5 |
8 | Pakistan | 80,051,300 | 103.8 |
9 | Germany | 78,160,773 | 224.2 |
10 | Bangladesh | 77,153,765 | 592.7 |
11 | Nigeria | 68,617,849 | 75.3 |
12 | Mexico | 63,759,976 | 32.8 |
13 | United Kingdom | 56,179,000 | 232.2 |
14 | Italy | 56,059,245 | 190.6 |
15 | France | 54,424,006 | 85 |
16 | Vietnam | 50,533,506 | 163 |
17 | Ukraine | 49,453,675 | 85.4 |
18 | Philippines | 44,650,801 | 149.7 |
19 | Thailand | 44,148,285 | 86.4 |
20 | Turkey | 42,376,642 | 55.1 |
21 | Egypt | 38,783,863 | 39 |
22 | Spain | 36,439,000 | 73 |
23 | South Korea | 36,436,000 | 375.9 |
24 | Iran | 35,581,775 | 23.2 |
25 | Poland | 34,621,254 | 113.8 |
26 | Ethiopia | 34,617,799 | 31.6 |
27 | Burma | 31,494,391 | 48.2 |
28 | South Africa | 27,129,932 | 22.3 |
29 | Argentina | 26,983,828 | 9.9 |
30 | Congo Kinshasa | 26,482,646 | 11.7 |
31 | Colombia | 25,328,520 | 24.4 |
32 | Canada | 23,796,400 | 2.6 |
33 | Romania | 21,658,597 | 94.2 |
34 | Morocco | 18,478,242 | 25.8 |
35 | Algeria | 17,152,804 | 7.2 |
36 | Tanzania | 17,129,565 | 19.3 |
37 | Taiwan | 16,785,196 | 520.3 |
38 | North Korea | 16,562,806 | 137.6 |
39 | Peru | 15,990,099 | 12.5 |
40 | Afghanistan | 14,880,372 | 22.8 |
41 | Uzbekistan | 14,808,950 | 34.8 |
42 | Kenya | 14,500,404 | 25.5 |
43 | Kazakhstan | 14,454,828 | 5.4 |
44 | Sri Lanka | 14,249,606 | 220.5 |
45 | Australia | 14,054,525 | 1.8 |
46 | Netherlands | 13,864,194 | 409.1 |
47 | Nepal | 13,700,458 | 95.6 |
48 | Venezuela | 13,503,563 | 15.3 |
49 | Sudan | 13,500,356 | 7.3 |
50 | Malaysia | 12,645,951 | 38.5 |
51 | Iraq | 11,882,916 | 27.2 |
52 | Uganda | 11,334,650 | 57.5 |
53 | Mozambique | 11,127,868 | 14.2 |
54 | Hungary | 10,637,171 | 118.7 |
55 | Chile | 10,536,035 | 14.2 |
56 | Ghana | 10,318,760 | 45.4 |
57 | Czechia | 10,161,915 | 131.6 |
58 | Belgium | 9,821,800 | 324.4 |
59 | Portugal | 9,662,600 | 105.6 |
60 | Cuba | 9,534,235 | 86.8 |
61 | Belarus | 9,457,385 | 46.6 |
62 | Greece | 9,308,479 | 71.2 |
63 | Bulgaria | 8,797,022 | 81.1 |
64 | Yemen | 8,403,990 | 15.9 |
65 | Sweden | 8,251,648 | 20.1 |
66 | Saudi Arabia | 8,138,148 | 3.8 |
67 | Madagascar | 8,009,747 | 13.8 |
68 | Cameroon | 7,932,922 | 16.8 |
69 | Syria | 7,908,868 | 42.5 |
70 | Austria | 7,568,430 | 91.8 |
71 | Côte d'Ivoire | 7,525,213 | 23.7 |
72 | Serbia | 7,493,541 | 96.7 |
73 | Angola | 7,296,848 | 5.9 |
74 | Ecuador | 7,278,866 | 26.3 |
75 | Cambodia | 7,050,659 | 39.9 |
76 | Zimbabwe | 6,642,107 | 17.2 |
77 | Mali | 6,462,072 | 5.3 |
78 | Switzerland | 6,316,424 | 157.9 |
79 | Guatemala | 6,196,604 | 57.8 |
80 | Tunisia | 6,005,061 | 38.7 |
81 | Burkina Faso | 5,891,063 | 21.5 |
82 | Azerbaijan | 5,886,578 | 71.2 |
83 | Malawi | 5,702,228 | 60.6 |
84 | Niger | 5,682,086 | 4.5 |
85 | Dominican Republic | 5,302,800 | 109.7 |
86 | Senegal | 5,219,196 | 27.1 |
87 | Haiti | 5,167,179 | 187.5 |
88 | Zambia | 5,110,028 | 6.9 |
89 | Denmark | 5,088,419 | 119.9 |
90 | Bolivia | 5,079,716 | 4.7 |
91 | Georgia | 4,963,464 | 71.2 |
92 | Slovakia | 4,827,803 | 100.4 |
93 | Finland | 4,738,902 | 15.6 |
94 | Rwanda | 4,657,072 | 188.8 |
95 | Hong Kong | 4,583,700 | 4,271.9 |
96 | Chad | 4,438,230 | 3.5 |
97 | Somalia | 4,354,931 | 6.9 |
98 | Croatia | 4,318,673 | 77.2 |
99 | El Salvador | 4,285,219 | 206.8 |
100 | Bosnia and Herzegovina | 4,086,000 | 79.8 |
101 | Guinea | 4,079,950 | 16.6 |
102 | Norway | 4,043,205 | 13.3 |
103 | Moldova | 3,920,281 | 119.2 |
104 | South Sudan | 3,856,473 | 6 |
105 | Burundi | 3,834,415 | 149.3 |
106 | Tajikistan | 3,659,375 | 25.9 |
107 | Israel | 3,481,564 | 162 |
108 | Kyrgyzstan | 3,432,218 | 17.9 |
109 | Lithuania | 3,361,419 | 53.6 |
110 | Ireland | 3,271,900 | 47.5 |
111 | Benin | 3,210,600 | 29 |
112 | Laos | 3,208,346 | 13.9 |
113 | Sierra Leone | 3,167,353 | 44.2 |
114 | New Zealand | 3,164,900 | 12 |
115 | Puerto Rico | 3,080,828 | 347.4 |
116 | Honduras | 3,056,115 | 27.3 |
117 | Paraguay | 2,975,427 | 7.5 |
118 | Armenia | 2,954,907 | 104.8 |
119 | Uruguay | 2,878,748 | 16.4 |
120 | Lebanon | 2,757,773 | 269.6 |
121 | Papua New Guinea | 2,738,792 | 6 |
122 | Libya | 2,718,837 | 1.5 |
123 | Turkmenistan | 2,663,744 | 5.7 |
124 | Nicaragua | 2,554,286 | 21.3 |
125 | Eritrea | 2,512,642 | 24.9 |
126 | Albania | 2,509,048 | 91.6 |
127 | Latvia | 2,491,407 | 40 |
128 | Togo | 2,401,653 | 44.2 |
129 | Singapore | 2,325,300 | 3,279.7 |
130 | Central African Republic | 2,167,434 | 3.5 |
131 | Jamaica | 2,156,814 | 199.1 |
132 | Costa Rica | 2,108,457 | 41.3 |
133 | Jordan | 1,959,326 | 22.1 |
134 | Panama | 1,841,830 | 24.8 |
135 | Slovenia | 1,746,919 | 86.7 |
136 | North Macedonia | 1,727,797 | 67.9 |
137 | Liberia | 1,706,293 | 17.7 |
138 | Congo Brazzaville | 1,539,691 | 4.5 |
139 | Mongolia | 1,528,000 | 1 |
140 | Mauritania | 1,455,644 | 1.4 |
141 | Estonia | 1,453,168 | 34.3 |
142 | Kosovo | 1,430,006 | 131.3 |
143 | Lesotho | 1,255,738 | 41.4 |
144 | Kuwait | 1,140,357 | 64 |
145 | Trinidad and Tobago | 1,039,009 | 202.6 |
146 | Oman | 1,012,702 | 3.3 |
147 | Namibia | 977,026 | 1.2 |
148 | Mauritius | 913,025 | 449.8 |
149 | West Bank | 841,909 | 149.3 |
150 | Botswana | 781,472 | 1.4 |
151 | Guyana | 758,334 | 3.9 |
152 | Guinea-Bissau | 745,228 | 26.5 |
153 | Gabon | 711,089 | 2.8 |
154 | United Arab Emirates | 683,672 | 8.2 |
155 | Timor-Leste | 628,814 | 42.3 |
156 | Cyprus | 615,358 | 66.6 |
157 | Fiji | 599,339 | 32.8 |
158 | The Gambia | 598,855 | 59.2 |
159 | Montenegro | 560,073 | 41.6 |
160 | Eswatini | 551,420 | 32.1 |
161 | Gaza Strip | 418,872 | 1,163.5 |
162 | Bhutan | 411,662 | 10.7 |
163 | Luxembourg | 361,450 | 139.8 |
164 | Suriname | 360,069 | 2.3 |
165 | Malta | 332,066 | 1,050.8 |
166 | Comoros | 309,007 | 138.3 |
167 | Bahrain | 297,410 | 391.3 |
168 | Cabo Verde | 285,964 | 70.9 |
169 | Djibouti | 250,907 | 10.8 |
170 | Barbados | 249,169 | 579.5 |
171 | Macau | 249,116 | 8,897 |
172 | Iceland | 221,823 | 2.2 |
173 | Solomon Islands | 207,277 | 7.4 |
174 | The Bahamas | 197,499 | 19.7 |
175 | Equatorial Guinea | 192,675 | 6.9 |
176 | Qatar | 187,806 | 16.2 |
177 | Brunei | 167,216 | 31.8 |
178 | Samoa | 153,690 | 54.5 |
179 | Curaçao | 149,459 | 336.6 |
180 | Maldives | 140,721 | 472.2 |
181 | Belize | 140,578 | 6.2 |
182 | French Polynesia | 138,156 | 36.1 |
183 | New Caledonia | 136,000 | 7.4 |
184 | Saint Lucia | 116,916 | 192.9 |
185 | Vanuatu | 106,000 | 8.7 |
186 | Guam | 101,167 | 186 |
187 | Saint Vincent and the Grenadines | 94,577 | 243.1 |
188 | Grenada | 94,280 | 274.1 |
189 | U.S. Virgin Islands | 93,203 | 267.8 |
190 | Tonga | 90,703 | 126.5 |
191 | Sao Tome and Principe | 86,796 | 90 |
192 | Dominica | 74,323 | 99 |
193 | Jersey | 73,535 | 633.9 |
194 | Federated States of Micronesia | 70,368 | 100.2 |
195 | Antigua and Barbuda | 68,637 | 154.9 |
196 | Seychelles | 61,791 | 135.8 |
197 | Isle of Man | 61,503 | 107.5 |
198 | Aruba | 59,172 | 328.7 |
199 | Kiribati | 54,938 | 67.7 |
200 | Bermuda | 54,207 | 1,003.8 |
201 | Guernsey | 53,555 | 686.6 |
202 | Greenland | 49,433 | 0 |
203 | Saint Kitts and Nevis | 44,380 | 170 |
204 | Faroe Islands | 41,860 | 30.1 |
205 | American Samoa | 30,839 | 155.8 |
206 | Andorra | 29,396 | 62.8 |
207 | Gibraltar | 28,538 | 4,076.9 |
208 | Marshall Islands | 28,050 | 155 |
209 | Monaco | 25,687 | 12,843.5 |
210 | Liechtenstein | 23,927 | 149.5 |
211 | San Marino | 20,480 | 335.7 |
212 | Cook Islands | 18,483 | 78.3 |
213 | Northern Mariana Islands | 15,710 | 33.3 |
214 | Cayman Islands | 14,800 | 56.1 |
215 | Palau | 13,025 | 28.4 |
216 | Montserrat | 11,926 | 116.9 |
217 | Sint Maarten | 11,793 | 346.9 |
218 | British Virgin Islands | 10,719 | 71 |
219 | Wallis and Futuna | 9,200 | 64.8 |
220 | Nauru | 7,300 | 347.6 |
221 | Turks and Caicos Islands | 6,859 | 7.2 |
222 | Saint Martin | 6,778 | 125.5 |
223 | Tuvalu | 6,770 | 260.4 |
224 | Anguilla | 6,390 | 70.2 |
225 | Saint Helena, Ascension, and Tristan da Cunha | 6,252 | 15.9 |
226 | Saint Pierre and Miquelon | 5,920 | 24.5 |
227 | Saint Barthelemy | 2,675 | 107 |
Data from US Census International Database